14. Asher

CHAPTER 14

ASHER

I’m standingon the porch with my arm around Madelyn. We’re both waving as her mom and dad pull out of the driveway. We stand just like this until their headlights disappear down the road.

I squeeze her against me. “You okay?”

It’s then I realize she’s starting to freak out. “I just lied to my parents. I never lie to them, and I sat through a whole dinner letting them think we’re together. Do you have any idea what you just did? My mom is probably on the phone right now planning our wedding.”

I answer her calmly. “It’s okay, Madelyn.”

She steps away from me. “How can you be so calm?”

She keeps backing away, and so I grab her by the shoulders and pull her against me. “We didn’t lie to your parents. This is new and we’re seeing how it goes, right?”

She lifts her chin and looks at me. “Wait. You’re serious?”

I wait for the second thoughts or regrets, but none of it comes. I actually feel a calm come over me. “Yes, I’m serious.”

She has wide eyes as she looks at me. “So we’re really dating?”

For the first time, I hesitate. “Is that okay with you? Maybe I should have talked to you about this first. I thought I was helping, but…”

My voice trails off, and she’s quiet as she looks out into the orchard. When she looks back at me, her voice is timid and hesitant. “But what?”

I shrug my shoulders, and she says. “Just say it, Asher.” But before I can answer, she continues, “Did you tell my parents we were dating because you wanted to help me? Is that why?”

I nod, and her smile drops.

“Is that your only reason?”

I shake my head. I’ve never been a jealous person, but when her dad started talking about fixing her up with that other man, I couldn’t just stand by and do nothing. Just the thought of someone looking at her makes me crazy. I know the only thing to do here is be honest. “No, it wasn’t the only reason I told your parents we were dating.”

She crosses her arms over chest defensively. “Okay, what other reason is there?”

I point over to the swing on the porch. “Will you sit with me?”

She looks at it and back at me. “It depends. Are you going to answer my question?”

I put my hands at her waist and start to walk with her over to the porch swing. “Sit with me, and I’ll tell you anything you want to know.”

She’s about to sit down when I slide around her, sit down, and then pull her onto me. She giggles as she topples onto my lap, and I wrap an arm around her waist and pull her snug against my body. She leans back and rests her head on my shoulder. I enjoy having her in my lap before I start to talk. “So I told your parents that we were dating because I want to date you.”

She gasps and turns to look at me. I let her turn sideways in my lap and use my arm to support her back. “Don’t act so surprised. I mean, I would think it’s a given that I want to date you.”

She loops her arms around my neck. “I honestly thought you were just using me for sex.”

“Maddie! That sounds horrible.”

She smacks me on the chest. “I didn’t mean it in a bad way. I just thought we were, you know, enjoying each other… that’s all.”

“Yeah, well, I’m definitely enjoying you.”

She leans her head on my chest, and I figure I better just go ahead and get it all out there. “There’s more.”

She’s tracing her finger across my chest. “What do you mean, there’s more?”

I capture her hand in mine and hold it to me. “I mean, I was jealous.”

“Jealous? Why would you be jealous?”

“When your dad was talking about fixing you up… I didn’t like it.”

She searches my face. “You didn’t like it?”

“Nope. I didn’t like it. I don’t want another man looking at you. I sure as hell don’t want another man touching you… so yeah, I didn’t like it.”

“But…” she starts, but I stop her.

“I don’t share, Maddie. It’s probably good you know that now. We probably should have talked about this before we slept together, but I’m telling you now. If you’re with me… you’re with me. And if that’s not something you want, just tell me.”

She starts to talk, but I interrupt her again. “And there is no pressure. This has nothing to do with the job you have here. You’ve proven yourself, and the position is yours whether we’re together or not.”

She shifts her weight on my lap. “So I’m assuming it goes both ways. You won’t be with someone else? Not while we’re together?”

I grit my teeth. “I don’t cheat. As long as you’re in my bed, there’s no one else.”

“Oooh,” she sing-songs. “Does this mean we’ll be sleeping in bed together?”

I laugh and nuzzle my lips against her neck. “I mean, I’m not sure how much sleeping we’ll be doing, but yeah, I’d like to have you in my bed.”

She sighs happily. “So we’ll get to do more of last night.”

I roll my eyes. “Well, it’s pretty obvious I can’t keep my hands off you. Shit. We did lie to your dad.”

“About what?”

“You told him we aren’t shacking up.”

She presses her breasts to my chest and kisses my neck. In between kisses, she explains, “I’m twenty-eight, Asher. I am not going to talk to my dad about who I sleep with.”

“But…” I start, and she interrupts. “I mean, if you want to take sex off the table, we wouldn’t be lying.”

I growl and pick her up in one motion. She screeches as she holds on to me tighter. “That’s not happening, Maddie. I get hard just looking at you. In case you haven’t figured it out yet, I can’t resist you.”

“That’s good, because I don’t want you to.”

“My room or your room, Maddie?”

She nods her head down the hall. “My room is closer.”

I carry her down the hall and kick her bedroom door shut behind us. I set her on her feet. “Strip.”

Her eyes get darker, and her smile goes from ear to ear. “You know, I never thought I liked being bossed around, but maybe it’s not so bad.”

I pull my shirt over my head, and as soon as I do, her hands are on me. “Sorry, but you drive me wild, Madelyn Weston.”

She grips at my belt and undoes it. “Oooh, tell me more.”

Before I let her dip her hand into the opening of my pants, I grab her wrist to hold her where she’s at, which takes an insane amount of willpower on my end.

“You need to answer me first.”

She licks her lips and looks at me with wide eyes. “Answer what?”

I lean down so we’re at eye level. “I don’t share, Madelyn.”

Her smile is instant. “Oh that. Yeah, I’m good with that.”

“Good? You’re good with that? I swear we need to work on your adjectives.”

She struggles to get out of my hold, but I don’t let her hand go. I don’t know why I’m being so insistent about this, but I do know that I’m not giving in. “Say it, Maddie.”

She smirks. “Say what?”

“Fuck—” I start, and she laughs.

“Fine, I’ll say it. I only want you, Asher Wild. I’m not interested in anyone else because these last couple of days with you have completely turned me upside down. So yeah, I don’t want you to share me with anyone. I don’t want to be shared. I want to be yours.”

I release her hand, and she wraps it around my girth. I’m completely at her mercy. I know I should have my guard up, but with Madelyn, I’m not sure that’s possible.